Forward to the Stars Ch. 15

"PLEASE just call me Mark!! Okay??" Wailed Marcus. "This Marcus, Marcus, Marcus is driving me NUTS!! But please, tell me the truth! WILL I be able to walk again?"

Brianna sighed and looked at the Legionnaires around them. "I don't know." She said finally looking him in the face. "I honestly don't know. Spinal injuries are tough! Tough on the injured, the family, the friends, on everyone! All we can promise is try to return feeling to your body. IF we can do that, we SHOULD be able to EVENTUALLY do more. Come on we need to get inside before Renee and the other squirrels get curious enough to come out from the trees." She said pointing towards the trees where the outside squirrels that weren't on patrol were massed.

"I take it that what we're seeing ISN'T some kind of illusion and they really ARE that big?" Margaret stammered as Tabitha started squeaking 'Tree Dancers!' "And what does she mean by 'Tree dancers'?"

"The Remaker took your average everyday road kill squirrels and turned them into Clydesdale and Belgian Workhorse sized, HIGHLY AGILE, heavy assault, fast attack guard units that patrol and guard our underground base here in Idaho. Now let's go inside, NOW!" Brianna said as she made for the ramp off the landing pad.

************

"So where is the first stop in your convincing our son to join whatever it is you're doing here?" Asked Marilyn as they followed Brianna down yet another hallway.

"Medical bay! No sense in telling anyone anything until you see for yourself that we can do most of it now without any fresh ideas. The question I have is do people want to get a medical go over as well while Mark's in the pod or start with the fun without him? He'll be in there for a while, I was and mine wasn't nearly as bad." Brianna said as they entered the medical bay.

"Sweet nurse!" Mark piped up as he saw Robin.

"So who's all going for a swim?" Robin asked ignoring Mark. "Anyway kid, with that chair you're going to need to go into a mod bay since you need the life support while this is going on." She said indicating a deeply recessed alcove in the far wall with her stylus.

"I'm not quite sure why we would need to get in the pods as well." Richard said as two animorphs started towards Mark to guide him to the mod bay. "And just what is up with those costumes?"

"The Remaker also took Cottontail rabbits and Whitetail deer and made them Hominids to fill job openings here at this base. We have plenty of humans out and about but very few like the idea of working here" Robin said as they began to prepare the mod bay to accept Mark's chair. "Also why don't you go for spin as well and get some body sculpting done?"

"Why wouldn't people want to work here and what kind of body sculpting are we talking about?" Margaret asked.

"Well for starts kid, I've seen really little kids with far better racks than you've got and DON'T get me started on that ass of yours." Robin said as she started typing on a pad.

"Don't you start telling MY daughter what she should and shouldn't look like." Marilyn snapped as she began too puff up.

"And might I suggest doing away with that nasal twang of yours?" Robin suggested to a horrified Marilyn. "Well anyway whatever you do, DON'T start laughing in here please. I never like the show 'The Nanny' because of that nasal yowling broad and DO NOT bring up that damned Urkel! That show wouldn't have been all that bad but the lederhosen wearing nasal yapping Urkel ruined it." Robin said as she approached Mark. "Okay kid, we have you down for complete spinal regeneration. What other body mods you want done?"

Mark laughed. "Impolite and argumentative but still when people actually PREFORM medicine and not PRACTICE medicine that kind of attitude is overlook-able."

"Having an asshole husband doesn't help the attitude kid." Robin sighed.

"What happened?" Asked Margaret.

"Margaret isn't it? Well the dumb ass ended up putting down nine dependents instead of the actual four and actually believed that the IRS wouldn't eventually find out. So, DO people want body sculpting done or not?" Robin asked as Mark continued to look over the possibilities.

"Megan will work thanks and let's at least look what options we have." Megan said looking at the huffy look on her mother's face and thoughtful one on her father's.

"Yeah, let's at least look at what's available." Richard said suddenly. "We're here, might as well take advantage of it." He grinned as his wife humphed at his blatantly ignoring the way Robin had talked to her.

************

"Hello?" Megan groaned as she slowly came awake on the med table where she had been placed after she got out of the mod bay.

"Finally awake are you?" Came a quiet laugh a little way from the foot of her bed. "About time to, even your brothers and that cheerleader that had tagged along have been up and out for at least a good forty five minutes.

"MARK! Where is he? Is he OKAY? How much can he FEEL?" Megan yelped as she shot up off the table causing the deer attendant to recoil.

"EASY GIRL! Don't want to have to put you back in the pod with injuries of your own, now do we?" The deer laughed.

"Sorry but where is he? I NEED TO KNOW GOD-DAMN IT!" Megan screamed at the deer before she nearly choked on her tongue when she realized what she had just said. "PLEASE don't tell mom what I just said PLEASE! I am begging you, oh GOD how I'm begging you! I swear I'll do whatever you want, just don't tell mom!"

"Don't EVER give Laria that kind of opening! Trust me kid." The deer said. "The likelihood of her wanting in your pants is almost a guarantee. ESPECIALLY after those few extra mods you slipped in after your mom had given her consent to those three that are smart to get anyway."

"What? Permanently remove of all body hair, complete toxin purge down to the cellular level and a permanent full body tan?" Asked Megan as she slowly slid down off the table.

"Yeah those three, though with me being an animorph the body hair would be a little tricky." The deer laughed. "Seriously though if you were serious about doing ANYTHING, don't let your parents make your brother's decisions for him. YOU talk him into making up his OWN decision. Get him to sleep on any decision making for at least three days or longer then get him to think on it for at least another WEEK before he says anything!"

"About TIME you got up sis!" Thomas hollered as he barged into the med bay wearing a swimsuit.

"Where'd you get the swimsuit?" Megan asked as he jumped a couple of tables to get to Megan faster.

"Don't let Robin catch you doing that!" The deer warned him. "Here kid." She said handing Megan a swimsuit. "Best advise we've got around here after coming out of a mod bay, go down to the pool complex. Scat." She said shooing Megan towards to the restrooms to change. "And here's a baggy for your clothes." She added throwing her a canvas bag.

**********

"WOW!" Was all Megan could manage as she stepped into the pool complex and looked around.

"Yeah I know! It's seriously sick, isn't it?" Thomas squealed in his excitement.

"Well I don't know about 'sick' but I do know it is seriously beats most of those high dollar resorts and all their fancy rides." Said a platinum blond as she came up to the two siblings. "You must be Megan, I'm Rachel. I'm in charge of the welfare of the inside squirrels." She said as she pointed to the edge of a pool where Megan saw what appeared to be a bunch of gray, brown and silver colored rocks. Anyway come on, there is a mandatory minimum thirty-minute relaxation period down here after getting out of the med bay. Even if you've slept for THREE HOURS after getting pulled out of a pod! Ssooo.... how'd you pull THAT off anyway?"

"Yeah even the AI that runs this area couldn't figure it out!" Mark laughed as he hobbled up to them supported by their parents. "You're apparently the first in a long time that stayed asleep even after getting out of the bay. Though he didn't actually say how long 'a long time' was." He added thoughtfully. "By the way sis there are water slides over that way but apparently you have to fight a kid called 'Kitty' to get on them. Shouldn't be to hard since she's only supposed to be eight or nine but apparently she has no problems cutting in line or fighting for the front spot."

"You're standing! They actually did it, THEY ACTUALLY DID IT!!!" She screamed as she rushed forward to hug her brother.

"NO KID!" Said a voice behind her as an iron grip seized her arm a pulled her back. "His nerves are highly sensitive right now; even a slight touch can be extremely painful.

"Mark?" Megan asked hoarsely as she felt her heart drop out of her body and she slid down to her knees.

"Easy sis, EASY!" Mark hissed as he was lowered down beside Megan and began to stroke her hair. "I'm okay, really I am. After a year of the nerves having NO impulses at all and all of a sudden their being turned on full blast, I'm getting off EASY!" He chuckled weakly.

"How can this be called easy." Megan asked with her eyes filling with tears. "We came here and you were supposed to be able to walk again! Not be in so much pain you can't even be touched!" She said sobbing.

"You're still tired sis." Mark said softly. "Come on down to the beach and let the heated sand soak into you and watch people have fun in the water. Maybe even get your own toes wet, you haven't gotten wet outside a tub in over a year and a half and after another hour down here we can go watch that show that's supposed to explain A LOT of what's going on down here!"

********

"That was that Brian Faron that disappeared a few weeks ago, wasn't it?" Mark finally asked after the narrations had been finished for a good fifteen minutes.

"I think so." Richard said slowly. "It's amazing how much news you were able to get a hold of while paralyzed this last year."

"Mmmm. Anyway we need to see far more proof than what little we've seen for me to accept any of what we just saw on that the multi-dimensional display." Mark said thoughtfully. "Even with the technology that the military supposedly doesn't have, that isn't to far off in the future."

"So, you're going to go with the denial approach to all of this?" Asked Megan. "Or are you going to go with the you're hallucinating approach?"

"Either works for us." Said a voice from the doorway. "I'm called Shade; I'm what's known as a Sentinel. If you wish I can act as your guide unless you would prefer someone else?"

"No no, it doesn't matter. It really doesn't matter who plays guide." Mark said quickly. "I just need the PROOF that all of this is real."

"Well isn't that interesting, considering it's impossible to convince someone of something if they aren't willing to acknowledge it." Shade said simply. "We can show everything from the fusion reactors to the armories. We can show you the compounds here in the States to the newer foreign bases. Oh, by the way that land that has been in your family for the last few generations that we also bought, we just want the quartz rock. You can have the land back! We just want the crystals." She assured Marilyn. "It'll take permission from the Remaker but, if we can, we'll even take you up to the surface of the moon and to that new moon that's supposed to be created in orbit around Mars but in the end YOU will be the one to convince yourself of all this being real."

'WHOA there! What do mean by the new moon that's going to be made in orbit Mars?" Thomas asked.

"Okay kid." Shade laughed. "I'll try to explain. We are going to create another moon for Mars and if we can obtain permission, we'll take you up to see it. Hopefully we can because not many of us will get up there any time soon." She added laughing under her breath.

"How do you create a moon?" Asked Richard as confused as his family.

"No moon! SPACE STATION!" Tabitha squeeed happily as she rushed into the auditorium, once again just steps ahead of Vanilla.

"I don't care WHO you seek refuge with, you ARE going to go back into those pods and you ARE going to get more work done on your little butt!" Vanilla snarled in her southern drawl.

"Exactly what kind of work is she needing done?" Megan asked as Tabitha hid behind her legs.

"She got whacked pretty good by a jap over in the Taiji slaughter coves." Said a larger dolphin that was standing in the doorway. "She's that last surviving member of her pod. Which is why she has been allowed to be so free in her roaming. While it may not have been the most polite to dump her on you all, it did give us a break from her."

"Well 'I' enjoyed her company." Megan said defensively. "Anyway what do you mean by the Taiji slaughter coves?"

"It's one of the unsavory end results of that show 'Flipper'." Mark said sadly. "You remember that documentary called 'The Cove' I tried to get you to watch with me a couple of years ago sis? The guy that caught and trained the original Flipper dolphins created it. Basically, he's trying to stop the big business of the capture of water park exhibits and the slaughter of thousands of captured dolphins. The japs won't even watch the slaughter when given a chance since it is something that their people just would not do. Supposedly."

They are not butchered and shoved into tuna cans Mark." Richard said tired of the long running argument. "There are treaties in place that forbid such practices."

So, I'm guessing what happened to us were just figments of our warped twisted little imaginations?" Snarled the Dolphin as she hauled him down to face-to-face level with Tabitha. "Tabitha give this guy an echo burst!"

"WHAT? NO Don't! It'll kill him!" Hollered Mark as he lurched to his feet. "She, she CAN'T, can she?" He asked as he watched as Tabitha concentrated and strained herself. "What happened?"

"Billy club strike to her melon. The echo blast is sent everywhere INCLUDING back into Tabitha's own body, which is another reason for her to go into the pods. If we don't do something in the next week she's dead from the substantial damage she keeps inflicting on herself." Said the dolphin as Tabitha started to squee her anguish from not being able to create a concentrated blast.

"The singing! That's why I haven't been able to sleep, I knew SOMETHING was wrong." Gasped Megan.

"What do you mean?" Asked Thomas. "It sounds okay to me."

"There's a harshness to her singing Tommy, I can't really describe it but it's there." Megan said trying to figure out how to describe what she felt more than she heard.

"Try subliminal and you'll have your description." Said the adult dolphin.

"Exactly!!" Megan whooped. "Nothing you'd ever be able to hear consciously but your body will be effected to it all the more BECAUSE you can't hear it."

"At least you won't get your guts liquefied." Mark said shuddering.

"NOT that bad, more like bruising and massive hemorrhaging." The dolphin said defensively.

"Okay so you got me there. Mere dolphin echo-location isn't nearly powerful enough for liquefaction." Mark said. "Sorry."

"Well, be careful with some of the others. We all are having a bit of a problem dealing with such close proximity to humans." Said the Dolphin.

"Out of curiosity." Megan said thoughtfully. "What is being done about endangered species and the animal black market?"

"There are so many plans that some are just having to be placed on the back burner, for now we're having to settle for DNA storage and more like us! Even if we had the people for the necessary strike forces, we just don't have a capable enough leader to handle what would be needed." Vanilla said as she finally cornered Tabitha and grabbed her.

"NO!!! Tabie-tha want go home! Tabie-tha want go home with Sea-Queen!" Squeeed Tabitha as she held out her hands to Megan.

"Uum, Sea-Queen?" Megan asked confusedly looking around at people.

"Apparently she sees a great deal of possibility in you girl." Said the dolphin. "IF, and I do mean IF the Remaker and the Legion agree to it, would you be willing to join us and be a Commander of the strike forces?"

"I, um, well, um I guess I could see what, um I'm going to need to be allowed a LOT of information before I can make ANY decision!" Megan stammered out completely shocked at the offer.

"Now wait a minute!" Richard said hastily. "It's not that I'm unappreciative of you returning my sons life to him, I AM but whats up with you trying to get all of my family to work for you? Besides we are needing to leave for now since we need go to mass tomorrow and give thanks to God for sending you this technology so you could heal our son." He said hugging his wife to him.

"Very well, a transport will be prepped for launch to take you all back home by the time you are arrive up at the pad." Shade said from where she stood.

"NOOO! NO LEAVE ME!!" Wailed Tabitha as she struggled in Vanilla's grip.

"Daddy?' Megan pleaded to her father.

"IF it is okay with this Remaker everyone keeps talking about, then she can come back as soon as she spends the necessary time in a pod. She just needs to learn respect and manners, IF she plans on staying with us for very long. Think of your teaching her manners and respect as training IF you decide to actually take these people up on their offers." Richard told Megan, his voice thick with hostility. "And if you can, find out if this 'Remaker' really is that Brian Faron that went for a swim a few weeks ago."

"OH THANK YOU DADDY! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!" Megan squealed as she gave her father a bear hug. "You hear that Tabby? You need to settle down and get in that pod. You'll be sent back to me when you get out, okay?"

"Me come back?" Tabitha asked.

"Yes my sweet little baby." Megan said sweetly as she rubbed the little dolphins head. "You'll be sent back to me BUT no matter what happens you DO need to learn manners. AND not to jump on my or Lee's bed." She added laughingly as they exited the room.

Later that night.

"Oh GOD, HOW I'VE MISSED THIS!" Mark whooped as he stretched out on his bed. "God, this thing stinks!" He laughed."Anyway, what do you think of all that today?

"Well considering it's been in the garage for the last year, what can you expect and anyway we need to see if mom and dad will spring for a longer room since with way you're stretching you're going to knock holes in the wall if you're not careful!" Lee laughed. "And about your friends,I don't know about you but I DO know that NO decisions should be made until we have seen a lot more proof that we can trust them."

"Yeah, now that I can move on my own I've got to play poor little crip in the morning at mass, all week at school and everywhere else until we can figure out how to explain everything away." Mark said as he shifted trying to get comfortable. "As far as can we trust them? I've got a question for you; can we not?"

"What'cha mean?" Megan asked as she stuck her head in the door. "They're offering us so many possibilities that it's stupid not to grab on with both hands."

"You're only thinking of all supposed good that you could do with any kind of advanced technology when compared with the technology that you'd be up against." Thomas said from behind Megan.

"What do you mean by 'supposed' good? Theres NOTHING supposed about it! Even just ONE person willing to do what is necessary could save countless thousands of endangered animals." Megan snarled.

"Enough talking tonight kids." Richard said as he passed them on his way to the bathroom. "We have had a LONG trying day and we need the sleep. Tomorrow will be just as long praising God for giving those people the means to give Mark his life back."

"Dad, you know we can't tell anyone about ANY of this yet!" Mark said sitting up in his bed

"So are suggesting that we don't give God the praise he is due?" Richard snapped.

"NO! No I'm not but I am very serious that we can't tell people any of this. At least not yet." Mark said defensively.